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URBAN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS: PEOPLE, PLACE, SOCIETY
Presentation at the Urban Design FestivalMary Racelis
Research Scientist, Institute of Philippine CultureProfessorial Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
School of Social SciencesAteneo de Manila University
May 17, 2015
Introduction• Poverty: rural and urban – 2/3 of poor are in rural areas, but
urban poor concentrations are worse off in many ways.
• Metro Manila has 4,035,000 informal settlers and slumdwellers – 37% of the metro population (FIES) living in sub-human conditions.
• Nonetheless, these communities contribute their striving, hard work, resilience, mutual help, social capital networks to make the city a vibrant place.
IMAGES OFURBAN POVERTYIN THE PHILIPPINESPhoto credits:Carlos Vasquez (pictures 1-6)Mayor Jonas Cortez (pictures 7-12)
Urban Informal Settlements – economic aspects
• High levels of poverty and un/under-employment; but vast majority working to earn – with low remuneration
• Low and irregular incomes; informal economy linked to the formal economy; mixed income levels
• Largely cash economy
• Income generation: gender and generational roles: women and children work to support households
Urban Informal Settlements – physical aspects
• Dense, flimsy housing vulnerable to the elements and fire
• Sprawl along coastal areas, rivers, under bridges/flyovers, empty lots – “danger areas”
• Irregular layouts but neighborhood clusters of solidarity and mutual help
Urban Informal Settlements Social Aspects
Nuclear family and extended kin households: expand and contract to accommodate newcomers temporarily
Vulnerable groups: children, women, older persons, disabled, migrants, ethnic minorities, etc
Women’s ability to earn affected by family size; high abortion rates; teen-age pregnancies; lack of reproductive health information and services
Out-of-school youth; attraction of drug- and criminal-related jobsDomestic violence Spirituality strong; faith as central or as ultimate fallback
Capacity to Survive and Develop
Livelihood as major concern, shelter as secondary; resistance to distant relocation is totally justifiable;
Location as crucial: need to be near place of work/earning, schools, health centers, market, etc.
Sense of community: sharing and caring; extensive social capital networks
Communication and social media: text messaging Local celebrations: secular and religious
Governance and People’s Agency
• People’s organizations/community associations abound – formal and informal
• High levels of community organization: resist and/or engage with government; effective first responders in disasters
• Strong women as community leaders• Government agencies often hostile: eviction and relocation off-city as
their “solutions”; slow-moving bureaucracies; confused inter-agency responses
• Communities overwhelmingly resist relocation to distant off-city resettlement sites – “from danger zone to death zone”; demand onsite upgrading; near/incity as poor seconds
Inclusivity: Basic Principles of Interaction
Listen to and learn from informal settlers; get their points of view; understand and respect their People’s Plan; respond with appropriate interactive technical assistance.
Seek flexible win-win solutions in close consultation with the community
Intensify confidence building mechanismsReorient government bureaucracies and systems toward genuine partnerships with urban poor communities.
Change the paradigm!1. Understand that the urban poor make up the dynamic work force
of the city; in effect, they subsidize the lifestyles of the rich; Metro Manila’s elite and middle classes could not exist without them.
2. Support onsite upgrading, and only secondarily
nearsite/incity relocation if onsite not possible;
discard ill-conceived, poorly prepared off-city
resettlement.
3. Identify land for social housing in the city and develop appropriate social subsidies..
Change the Paradigm!
4. Adjust to differential, erratic earning patterns, and levels of vulnerability when establishing installment payment schemes for informal settlers in social housing
5. Recognize the strengths and vitality of urban- poor women leaders.
6. Affirm that poor urbanites have a right to the city and to their dignity as Filipino citizens.